What day is Museum Day? When is International Museum Day?

May 18 is International Museum Day. On this day, museums around the world hold various publicity and commemorative activities to celebrate their own festivals, so that more people can understand museums and better play the social functions of museums. This year, May 18 marks the 26th International Museum Day.

The word "museum" is derived from the Greek word "museion", which originally meant "a place where the muses are worshipped". The Muse is a common term for the nine goddesses of science and art in Greek mythology, who were in charge of history, astronomy, epic, love poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, chants and dance, representing the whole of Greek human activity at that time.

Around the 5th century BC, in the temple of Terph Olympus in Greece, there was a treasure trove of various sculptures and trophies, which is considered by the museum community as the beginning of the museum. For a long time afterward, the museum was only a collection room for the royal family or a few wealthy people to view the curiosities. By the end of the 18th century, museums in some Western European countries were established and opened to the public, and the functions of museums had new developments, and people's understanding of museums had also changed.

In 1880, the British museum scholar Rubins published the book "The Function of Museums", emphasizing that museums should be places for the general public to receive education. In his two monographs, "The Museum of the Future" and "Principles of Museum Administration", the American scholar Gu Di further emphasized that museums must devote themselves to renovating education and carrying out active activities, so that they should not only become places for experts and scholars to engage in research, but also become supplementary facilities for educational institutions and off-campus teaching gardens.

In November 1946, the International Council of Museums was founded in Paris, France. In June 1974, the International Council of Museums (ICOM), at its 11th session in Copenhagen, defined a museum as "an open, permanent institution that does not pursue profit and serves the development of society and society." It is its basic duty to collect, preserve, and study testimonies of human beings and their environment, so that they can be exhibited, made public, and provided opportunities for learning, education, and appreciation.

In 1971, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) held a conference in France, which focused on the relationship between the cultural and educational functions of museums and the future of mankind in view of the development of the world today. In 1977, in order to promote the healthy development of the global museum industry and attract the public to understand, participate in and pay attention to the museum industry, the International Council of Museums announced to the world that May 18, 1977 was the first International Museum Day, and the theme of the event was determined for the International Museum Day every year.

The Chinese Museum Society officially joined the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1983 and established the International Council of Museums China National Committee. On May 18 every year, various commemorative activities are held in various provinces and municipalities across the country.

When the museum was first established.

May 18th.

International Museum Day was initiated and founded by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977, and May 18, 2022 marks the 46th International Museum Day.

In 1977, in order to promote the healthy development of the global museum industry and attract the public to understand, participate in and pay attention to the museum industry, the International Council of Museums announced to the world that May 18, 1977 was the first International Museum Day, and the theme of the event was determined for the International Museum Day every year.

May 18 every year.

International Museum Day is celebrated annually on 18 May and is initiated and created by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). In 1977, in order to promote the healthy development of the global museum industry and attract the public to understand, participate in and pay attention to the museum industry, the International Council of Museums announced to the world that May 18, 1977 was the first International Museum Day.

46th International Museum Day

This year's "International Museum Day" was held in Wuhan, Hubei Province today. The event focused on the theme of "The Power of Museums". At the meeting, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage released the latest data of Chinese museums in 2021:

In 2021, there will be 395 new registered museums in China, and a total of 6,183 registered museums in China, ranking among the top in the world. Among them, 5,605 museums are open for free, accounting for more than 90%, and the number of people enjoying free visits to museums is the largest in the world.

In 2021, museums across the country will hold 10,000 exhibitions and 10,000 educational activities. Despite the impact of the epidemic, museums across the country still received hundreds of millions of visitors. More than 3,000 online exhibitions and more than 10,000 online educational activities have been planned, with a total of more than 4.1 billion online views.

What is the "Power of Museums"? In fact, it means that museums are important temples for inheriting human civilization, and they are the spiritual homes for popularizing scientific knowledge, improving aesthetics, and infiltrating people's hearts.